Tennys Sandgren tested positive - and still on the way to Australia
Tennys Sandgren , who narrowly failed to Roger Federer in the quarter-finals of the Australian Open last year, is on his way to Australia despite a positive COVID-19 test.
by tennisnet.com
last edit: Jan 14, 2021, 08:25 am
Tennys Sandgren and the Australian Open, it kind of fits. In 2018, the American came out of nowhere and defeated Dominic Thiem in five sets in the round of 16. Last year, Sandgren had Roger Federer on the verge of defeat, but could not use eight match points. And 2021? The current number 50 in the world is back on the way to Melbourne. Despite a positive COVID-19 test.
"Tested positive on Thankgsgiving, positive on Monday," Sandgren said yesterday Wednesday via Twitter. To add: "At least I'll keep my points." At the time of this tweet, Sandgren was assuming that he would not be allowed to travel to Melbourne (the 2020 world rankings will remain in the rating - if a player does not improve).
Tennys Sandgren thanks Craig Tiley
A few hours later, however, there was the next piece of information from Sandgren. Namely the one that he was now sitting in the plane that was supposed to take off from Los Angeles for Australia. Allegedly, that plane is said to have already been on its way to the runway, only to return to the gate to board Tennys Sandgren. Who he owed his ultimately unexpected journey, Sandgren knew even before he left: "Craig Tiley is a magician."
The head of Tennis Australia has pulled out all the stops behind the scenes in recent months, most recently accommodating the absolute top players in Adelaide. And probably also obtained a special permit for Tennys Sandgren. An official statement was not long in coming. Bottom line: Sandgren's new positive test was due to the infection in November. Such results are not unusual. But: During the two-week quarantine in Australia, all players would be tested daily anyway. Not just Tennys Sandgren.